Apparatus for feeding cigarettes and other articles of similar shape



May 23, 1939. J. w. CHALMERS AP PARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHERARTICLES OF SIMILAR SHAPE Filed Jan. 26, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 23,1939- J. w. CHALMERS APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLESOF SIMILAR SHAPE Filed Jan. '26, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1939- J. w.CHALMERS 2,159,132

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES OF SIMILAR SHAPEFiled Jan. 26, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 In Z/erzfor -MCZZ M Patented May23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CIGARETTESAND OTHER ARTICLES OF SIMILAR SHAPE Application January 26, 1937, SerialNo. 122,475. In Great Britain February 6, 1936 5 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to apparatus forfeeding cigarettes or other articles, e. g. articles of a shape similarto that of a cigarette.

When feeding cigarettes to a packing machine or a wrapping machine it iscustomary to deliver the cigarettes on to the bed of the machine byfeeding them in vertical rows with the longitudinal axes of thecigarettes substantially parallel with the bed of the machine betweenguides dis posed between a hopper and the bed of the machine. Batches ofcigarettes are formed by removing one or more of the lowermostcigarettes from each of the vertical rows. The batch is usually removedby a conveyor which passes over the bed of the machine and between theguides.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus forgently lowering on to the bed of the machine cigarettes which remainbetween the guides when a batch has been removed from therebetween andto control the cigarettes while they are being so lowered.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a part of a cigarette packing machine,and illustrates mechanism by means of which the cigarettes are fed tothe machine.

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are views showing some of the mechanism illustratedin Figure l, drawn to a smaler scale and showing the mechanism invarious positions which it occupies during its operation.

Like-references refer to like parts throughout the specification anddrawings.

Referring to the drawings, cigarettes are contained in a hopper 6, andthe cigarettes pass between guide elements I shown in the drawings asvanes or partitions, and move towards a sup-- porting member which inthe drawings comprises the bed 8 of the machine. A pusher piece 9 ismounted on an endless chain 22, for continuous movement through anendless path. The pusher piece 9 is movable over the supporting member8, as can be seen from Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5, and between the guideelements i, the pusher piece being provided with slots Ill (see Figure2) to permit this latter movement. The pusher piece 9 may be arranged toremove only the lowermost row of cigarettes from between the guideelements I, or it may be arranged to remove from between the guideelements a batch comprising a plurality of superimposed rows, such forexample as a batch comprising two rows of cigarettes.

A cigarette engaging member II is arranged to oscillate between thesupporting member formed by the bed 8 of the machine and thosecigarettes 15 which are wholly above the pusher piece whilst the pusherpiece is obstructing the path which is to be traversed by the cigarettesas they move towards the supporting member. By reference to Figures 3, 4and 5 it will be seen that the ciga' 10 rette engaging member I I whenin its lowermost position is arranged to move into an aperture 52 formedin the supporting member 8, so that the articles may be positivelylowered by the member II until the cigarette engages with the supporting member. When in its lowermost position the cigarette engaging memberforms part of the support for the cigarettes and the member II isprovided with a slot to permit the pusher piece 9 to pass over themember I I whilst the latter is in its lowermost position.

As shown in Figure 5, the member I I is moved in a path I I a which istraced out by the tip end of the member II and comprises a substantiallyright angled triangle, the operation of the manber II being describedbelow. The member H is pivoted at I3 to an arm I4 which comprises acarrier for the cigarette engaging member Ii, the arm I4 also beingsecured to a spindle i5 journalled in a bracket I 6 secured to thesupport-" ing member 8. The arm I4 is oscillated about the axis of thespindle I5 by a cam H, which cam cooperates with the roller I8journalled on a link I9 which is connected with the spindle i5 therebycausing the pivot i3 and the member I i to be moved at predeterminedintervals in the direction of movement of the pusher piece 9 and in adirection reverse thereto. As will be seen from the drawings, the cam I!is secured to the spindle 29 to which the sprocket 2i which drives theconveyor chain 22 is secured. By this arrangement it will be seen thatthe member II is operated horizontally in timed relationship with thepusher piece 9, and the cam 11 is arranged tn impart to the member II acomponent of movement in the direction of movement of the pusher piece 2while the latter is passing between the guide elements 7 and while themember l I is moving upwardly along the hypotenuse of the triangularpath. Downward movement of the member" through that part of thetriangular path which is substantially perpendicular to the supportingmember 3 is effected by a cam 23 which is rotated in timed relationshipwith the cam l1 and sprocket 2|, the cam 23 cooperating with a roller 24journalled in a rocker 25 pivoted at 25 to a bracket 26 and causing themember II to be moved about the pivot I3. The cam 23 is rotated from theshaft 20 by sprocket wheels Zll and 23**, the sprocket wheels beingconnected by a chain 20 and the sprocket wheel 20 being secured to ashaft 20. A spring 29 is provided to maintain the rollers I8 and 24 incontact with the cams I1 and 23 respectively and also urges the member II upwardly while the latter has a component of movement in the directionof movement of the pusher element 9. The rocker 25 is provided with aslot 21. A sliding member 28 engages with the slot 2'! and is secured tothe member II. The slotted rocker comprises a guide for the slidingmember 28.

While the pusher piece 9 is moving between the guide elements I, itsupports those cigarettes which are above it until it has passed overthe member II, whereupon the latter rises as shown in Figure 5, andengages with and supports those cigarettes which are wholly above thepusher piece 9. The member II is, while the pusher piece is movingthereover, being moved along the base of the triangular path II in adirection reverse to that in which the pusher piece is moving so that itmay be free to rise and to engage the cigarettes above the pusher pieceas soon as possible. As can be seen from Figures 3 to 5, the member IIis arranged to engage the cigarettes along a distance which is greaterthan half their length to control them While they are being lowered.When the pusher piece 9 is moved completely out of the space directlybelow the stack of cigarettes, the cam 23 causes the member II to movedownwardly into the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, thereby loweringthe cigarettes between the guide elements positively and gently on tothe supporting member and into position to be engaged by the pusherpiece.

It will be seen from Figures 3, 4, and 5 that when the member I I movesdownwardly it moves in a path substantially at right angles to thesupporting surface of the supporting member 8, because the downwarddistance through which the member I I travels is relatively short andthe posi tion of the pivot I3 during the downward movement is such thatthe axis of the pivot is disposed substantially centrally of thedownward path and at a distance therefrom such that the are made by themember II moving downwardly about the pivot is substantially a straightline.

From Figures 3 and 5 it will be seen that the cam I! is so shaped thatthe pivot is arranged to dwell in one position during the downwardmovement of the member II.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for feeding cigarettes, guides between which cigarettespass substantially vertically downwards, a support to which thecigarettes are delivered, a pusher element movable over the support toremove a batch of cigarettes its pivot in a vertical plane, said pivotbeing so disposed between the support and the position at which thecigarettes between the guides are first engaged by said member and atsuch a distance from said position that that part of the member whichengages the cigarettes is moved downwardly in a path approximatelyperpendicular to the support,

2. In apparatus for feeding cigarettes, guides between which cigarettespass substantially vertically downwards, a support to which thecigarettes are delivered, a pusher piece movable over the support toremove a batch of cigarettes from between said guides, a movablecarrier, a cigarette engaging element movable with the carrier andpivoted thereto for movement relatively to the carrier in a verticalplane, a guide pivoted about a fixed axis for movement in a verticalplane, a connecting member connecting the cigarette engaging member andsaid guide, said connecting member being movable relatively to theguide, a cam operative in timed relationship with the pusher piece toimpart to the carrier a component of movement in the direction ofmovement of the pusher piece after the latter has partly removed a batchfrom between the guides, means to move the cigarette engaging memberupwardly about its pivot while the carrier has said component ofmovement to engage the cigarettes above the pusher piece, and a furthercam operative in timed relationship with the first mentioned cam to movethe cigarette engaging member downwardly about its pivot in a pathapproximately perpendicular to said support to lower on to the supportcigarettes remaining between the guides after a batch has beencompletely removed from therebetween by the pusher piece.

3. In apparatus for feeding cigarettes, guides between which cigarettespass substantially vertically downwards, a support to which thecigarettes are delivered, a pusher piece movable over the support toremove a batch of cigarettes from between said guides, a movablecarrier, a cigarette engaging element movable with the carrier andpivoted thereto for movement relatively to the carrier in a verticalplane, a guide pivoted about a fixed axis for movement in a verticalplane, a connecting member connecting the cigarette engaging member andsaid guide, said connecting member being movable relatively to theguide, a cam operative in timed relationship with the pusher piece toimpart to the carrier a component of movement in the direction ofmovement of the pusher piece after the latter has partly removed a batchfrom between the guides, means to move the cigarette engaging memberupwardly about its pivot while the carrier has said component ofmovement to engage the cigarettes above the pusher piece, and a furthercam operative in timed relationship with the first mentioned cam andwhile the carrier is stationary to move the cigarette engaging memberdownwardly about its pivot in a path approximately perpendicular to saidsupport to lower on to the support cigarettes remaining between theguides after a batch has been completely removed from therebetween bythe pusher piece.

4. In apparatus for feeding cigarettes, guides between which cigarettespass substantially vertically downwards, a support to which thecigarettes aredelivered, a pusher piece movable over the support toremove a batch of cigarettes from between said guides, a cigaretteengaging member movable upwardly in timed relationship with the pusherpiece and with a component of movement in the direction of movement ofthe pusher piece to engage the cigarettes above the pusher piece afterthe latter has partly removed a batch from between the guides andmovable downwardly in a path approximately perpendicular to the supportto lower on to the support cigarettes remaining between the guides aftera batch has been completely removed from therebetween by the pusherpiece, and means for so moving said cigarette engaging member.

5. In apparatus for feeding cigarettes, guides between which cigarettespass substantially vertically downwards, a support to which thecigarettes are delivered, a pusher piece movable over the support toremove a batch of cigarettes from between said guides, a cigaretteengaging member movable upwardly in timed relationship with the pusherpiece and with a component of movement in the direction of movement ofthe pusher piece to engage the cigarettes above the pusher piece afterthe latter has partly removed a batch from between the guides andmovable downwardly in a path approximately perpendicular to the supportto lower on to the support cigarettes remaining between the guides aftera batch has been completely removed from therebetween by the pusherpiece, said member engaging the cigarettes along a distance greater thanonehalf their length to control them while they are being lowered, andmeans for so moving said cigarette engaging member.

JOHN WALKER CHALMERS.

